MIL-OSI Translation: Statement by Minister Guilbeault following the Canada-Norway Ministerial Meeting on Plastic Pollution held on the margins of the 79th United Nations General Assembly

MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

Source: Government of Canada – in French 1

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, issued the following statement as Canada and Norway concluded the Ministerial Consultation on the Plastic Pollution Treaty, which took place on the margins of the 79th United Nations General Assembly and ahead of the fifth and final negotiating session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea later this year.

September 26, 2024 – Gatineau, Quebec The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, issued the following statement as Canada and Norway concluded the Ministerial Consultation on the Plastic Pollution Treaty, which took place on the margins of the 79th United Nations General Assembly and ahead of the fifth and final negotiating session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea later this year.

“Plastics are being produced and consumed at an increasing rate, travelling across national borders, posing a risk to wildlife and damaging ecosystems. Millions of metric tonnes of plastic pollution enter our oceans each year, leaving a legacy of environmental impacts for future generations. Canada is taking ambitious action to reduce plastic pollution and help Canadians transition to a circular economy by following a comprehensive, evidence-based plan that covers the entire plastics lifecycle to keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment. But we can’t just act at home – plastic pollution is a global problem that is only getting worse. “Two years ago, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) unanimously adopted a historic and ambitious resolution to develop a new legally binding instrument on plastic pollution by the end of 2024. Since then, Canada has been actively engaged in the development of this global agreement, including through the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) in April 2024, which brought together over 3,000 participants from around the world.

“To build on this momentum, the governments of Canada and Norway co-hosted a ministerial consultation on the Plastic Pollution Treaty this week in New York, which helped identify areas of convergence ahead of INC-5. This is a critical element of the negotiations, and Canada calls on all Member States and Ministers to step up their efforts to chart a path toward an ambitious and effective global agreement to protect human health and the environment from plastic pollution. Canada looks forward to working with other Member States, Indigenous Peoples, intergovernmental partners and stakeholders to reach a final negotiated agreement to end plastic pollution at the final scheduled negotiation session (INC-5), to be held in the Republic of Korea this November.”

Oliver AndersonDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change819-230-1557Oliver.Anderson@ec.gc.ca

Media RelationsEnvironment and Climate Change Canada819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll free)media@ec.gc.ca

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

MIL Translation OSI